Aloysius Bluegrass Drummer
Silver Jews Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Aloysius was a bluegrass drummer
He was just a normal kid
Blooming, tripping flowing under
Just as I once did

At a 24 hour restaurant
Open to the end of time
He was washing dishes there
When he met brick butterfly

She was a no age singer for a country act
Working at a region ten
She was all strung out on hard street fat
But he didn't know it then

First a look then a spark
Sound of Velcro in the dark
His heart is spinning like a bicycle wheel
She and he laid the stems down flat
In the middle of a field

Brick butterfly had a history
of sleeping with the kitchen staff
She was a hardcore gobbler
and longtime guzzler of hydrogenated crap

Suet, tallow, liquid squeals
great mounds of plastic lard
That's what she got the lad to steal
on the night that he got fired

Aloysius woke at five am
the hungry girl was gone
There was blood in the bedding
forks in the ceiling
And bones all over the lawn

Like any strong young poet would
He packed his bags for region ten




I guess now I know him less than I ever knew him then
Yes I guess I know him even less than I ever knew him then

Overall Meaning

The song "Aloysius Bluegrass Drummer" by Silver Jews tells the story of a young bluegrass drummer named Aloysius, who falls in love with a singer named Brick Butterfly, who is addicted to drugs and other substances. The song describes how Aloysius meets Brick Butterfly while washing dishes at a 24-hour restaurant, and how they fall in love quickly. Despite her addiction, Aloysius is enamored by her, and they have a whirlwind romance.


The lyrics talk about how they spend time together, including laying in a field and stealing plastic lard. However, the song takes a dark turn when Aloysius wakes up to find Brick Butterfly gone, with blood in the bedding and bones on the lawn. The song ends with the singer reflecting on how he knows Aloysius less than he ever did before, after the tragic events.


Overall, the song explores themes of love, addiction, and loss. It highlights the dangers of getting involved with someone who is struggling with addiction, and the pain that can result when things fall apart.


Line by Line Meaning

Aloysius was a bluegrass drummer
Aloysius was skilled at playing the drums in bluegrass music.


He was just a normal kid
Despite his musical talent, Aloysius was an ordinary person.


Blooming, tripping flowing under
Aloysius, like the singer, was young and experiencing life in a vivid and intense way.


Just as I once did
The artist had similar experiences as Aloysius when they were young.


At a 24 hour restaurant
The story takes place in a restaurant that is open all day and night.


Open to the end of time
The restaurant is always open, symbolizing a timeless quality.


He was washing dishes there
Aloysius was working as a dishwasher in the restaurant.


When he met brick butterfly
Aloysius met a woman named brick butterfly while working in the restaurant.


She was a no age singer for a country act
Brick butterfly was a young singer who performed in a country music group.


Working at a region ten
Brick butterfly was based in a specific region where she performed.


She was all strung out on hard street fat
Brick butterfly was addicted to drugs.


But he didn't know it then
Aloysius was not yet aware of brick butterfly's drug addiction.


First a look then a spark
Aloysius and brick butterfly were attracted to each other at first sight.


Sound of Velcro in the dark
Their intimacy was represented by the sound of Velcro, which can symbolize the tearing apart of clothing during sex.


His heart is spinning like a bicycle wheel
Aloysius's emotions were intense, like the spinning of a bicycle wheel.


She and he laid the stems down flat
They had sex together in a field.


In the middle of a field
The field represents a place of freedom and naturalness where they could express themselves without limits.


Brick butterfly had a history
Brick butterfly had a past filled with various experiences.


of sleeping with the kitchen staff
One of her experiences was sleeping with the workers in the restaurant's kitchen.


She was a hardcore gobbler
She was addicted to eating unhealthy foods.


and longtime guzzler of hydrogenated crap
She consumed unhealthy food products for a long time.


Suet, tallow, liquid squeals
These are all unhealthy food products that Brick Butterfly consumed.


great mounds of plastic lard
Another symbol of unhealthy food that Brick Butterfly consumed.


That's what she got the lad to steal
Brick Butterfly convinced Aloysius to steal unhealthy food products from the restaurant.


on the night that he got fired
Aloysius stole the food on the night that he lost his job because he was caught having sex with Brick Butterfly.


Aloysius woke at five am
Aloysius woke up early in the morning after spending the night with Brick Butterfly.


the hungry girl was gone
Brick Butterfly had already left when Aloysius woke up.


There was blood in the bedding
The imagery of blood in the bedding suggests that an intense or violent sexual encounter occurred.


forks in the ceiling
This image is bizarre and surreal, but it suggests that Aloysius had a violent reaction to Brick Butterfly's departure.


And bones all over the lawn
This is a disturbing image that suggests further violence or chaos.


Like any strong young poet would
The singer empathizes with Aloysius as a creative and expressive person.


He packed his bags for region ten
Aloysius left town and went to the region where Brick Butterfly worked.


I guess now I know him less than I ever knew him then
The artist's experience of knowing Aloysius is now clouded by the strange and disturbing events that occurred with Brick Butterfly.


Yes I guess I know him even less than I ever knew him then
The artist is emphasizing how little they now know about Aloysius, despite having experienced life in similar ways when they were younger.




Contributed by Katherine L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

Drew Greene

"Suet, tallow, liquid squeals
Great mounds of plastic lard
That's what she got the lad to steal
On the night that he got FARRED"
I love that he twanged that up. GD David...will miss you forever. You taught my songwriting 101 course.

NK

LOVE david berman so much -- this was great -- thanks for posting!!

Ave Figgy

among so many favorites he hung and strung together so brilliantly irreverently etc bluegrass drummer is up there love and miss you David ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Myshell O

Royal Trux vibe here... RIP David. Love to the max.

Owen Duncan

@Bentley Emory No problem =)

Bentley Emory

@Owen Duncan thanks, signed up and it seems like they got a lot of movies there :) I appreciate it!!

Bentley Emory

i guess it is quite off topic but does anybody know of a good site to watch new tv shows online ?

mastersoftoday

i wish i had a thousand bucks / i wish i was the royal trux

Matt Smith

Awesome!

Frank Brenner

RIP. Brilliant.

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